1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is systems for reclaiming the waste heat of clothes driers. In particular, my invention relates to systems for using the waste heat of clothes driers to supplement a home heating system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Systems are known which attempt to conserve much of the heat exhausted from a clothes drier. Many of these systems recycle the exhaust air, as by preheating air coming into the drier with exhaust air. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,574,298 and 3,027,653 disclose devices to recapture the heat of condensation of moisture in the exhaust air. Friedman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,867 discloses a system for commercial laundries with multiple washers which employs drier exhaust heat to preheat intake water to the clothes washers. A system similar to Friedman is shown in Vaughan U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,238 which utilizes the venting structure disclosed in Angelone U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,391. Angelone teaches the recirculation of the heated exhaust air back into the drier.
None of these devices, nor any other known at this time in the prior art, utilizes drier exhaust heat to preheat the return air in a home heating system. Because of the larger volume of air heated in such a home system, and because the home heating system air is heated to a lower temperature than either drier intake air or clothes washer water, a more complete use of the otherwise waste heat from the drier exhaust is possible with this system.
Additionally, none of the prior art devices provides for a simple switching system to vent the air to the atmosphere in summer, when the home heating system may be used for air conditioning, but to utilize the exhaust drier heat in winter.
No device in the relevant prior art can be easily attached to existing drier units; all are designed for original construction. This system can be made by a simple installation of one or two devices and connecting hoses or ducts in a few hours. Due to the simplicity of the device it can be installed on a drier by an unskilled person with household tools.